Girls' school with monastery

The school with monastery, founded as a free girls' school, is a characteristic, rather neatly preserved example of 19th-century school construction. Today it is the Vrije Basisschool Sint-Cajetanus. The school is located southeast of the village center, more specifically on the edge of the built-up area and connects to the castle domain the Ribeaucourt.

In 1876, through the de Ribaucourt family, a Catholic girls' school with an integrated monastery was established on a vacant lot next to the steward's house. In addition to a nursery and primary school, the school also included a lace school, this in the context of the flourishing lace industry in Vilvoorde where many workers could be employed; Secondary education was provided on Sundays. Care was entrusted to the Sisters of Charity; patron saint became Saint Gaetanus. Construction was completed in 1877, and on September 20, the first four sisters arrived; The registration on the land register took place in 1878.
After sufficient staff had been trained in the lacemaking school, a lacework factory was also operated in the building south of the school, which was originally part of the adjacent steward's house which, according to land registry data, was also owned by 'Cristyn Prosper Jan Josephus, Rentenier, Perck, graef van Ribaucourt'. In 1880, a school was registered here as 'nouvelle construction' on the land register, although it may involve the adaptation and expansion of the already existing building. The customer of the lace was manufacturer Legrand from Vilvoorde. Afterwards, the building served, among other things, as a home for the school's gardener, patronage and parish hall.

Blauwkruikje